whittle down

whittle down (third-person singular simple present whittles down, present participle whittling down, simple past and past participle whittled down)

1. (transitive) To reduce gradually by removing pieces.
   • 2023 March 30, Carlotta Gall, “Ukrainians in a Hidden Command Post See Bakhmut Going Their Way”, in The New York Times‎, →ISSN:

     To Ukraine, it has become an important line to hold, both to whittle down Russia’s forces and to deprive them of a victory.

• whittle down to size

• “whittle down”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “whittle down”, in Collins English Dictionary.
• “whittle down” (US) / “whittle down” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.